Going round the twist

Twist Pilot is arguably one of the more eagerly awaited PlayStation Mobile titles, thanks largely to the pedigree of its developer (Crash Lab is made up of ex-Rare staff) and the fact that it channels the spirit of Game Boy Advance classic Kuru Kuru Kururin.

While it doesn't quite live up to the hype, it's still a worthy download for your PS Vita or Xperia Play - or indeed your iPhone or iPad.

You have to guide a rotating stick called Phil around a maze, collecting spinning rings and power-ups as you go. Brushing against the side of the maze reduces your health and incurs a time penalty, making it harder for you to achieve the coveted three-star rating at the level's conclusion.

Twist and shout

Using the touchscreen, you have to guide your stick through all kinds of tight spots. Special items will both shrink and enlarge Phil, as well as freeze, speed up, and slow down his rotation. You'll also need to collect keys to unlock doors on later levels, making the game even more tense.

The completely touch-driven interface certainly takes some getting used to. You can basically lay a finger down anywhere on the screen and Phil will follow whatever direction you move it in. This means that you're constantly having to readjust the position of your digit as you quickly run out of screen.

With practice it's possible to become quite quick and precise with your maneuvering, but one has to wonder why the developer didn't enable analogue stick control for this.

Twist Pilot is set across several chapters, which unlock as you earn ratings on each stage. Getting three-star awards on each level will unlock subsequent stages more quickly, but you can always go back and re-try previously completed levels if you want to nab a few more of the shiny things.

Knickers in a twist

The presentation in Twist Pilot is something of an odd brew. The visuals are bright and sharp, but the backgrounds vary from appealing to totally forgettable.

The same is true of the soundtrack, which mixes all manner of musical styles to create a selection of songs which might not be of the best quality but certainly end up being memorable, if only through repetition

While it has a few niggling issues, Twist Pilot does pay effective tribute to the esteemed Kuru Kuru Kururin. The addition of collectible rings adds another layer of complexity, and the sheer number of levels will keep you engrossed for quite a while.

It's just a shame that it's weighed down by its shortcomings. Twist Pilot is by no means a perfect video game, but if you've sampled Aqua Kitty and Super Crate Box on the PlayStation Mobile store already then this is as good a choice as any.